Allegiance - Softcover

Timothy Zahn is the author of more than forty novels, nearly ninety short stories and novellas, and four short-fiction collections. In 1984, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novella. Zahn is best known for his Star Wars novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command, Specter of the Past, Vision for the Future, Survivor's Quest, Outbound Flight, Allegiance, Choices of One, and Scoundrels), with more than four million copies of his books in print. Other books inlcude the Cobra series, the Quadrail series, and the young adult Dragonback series. Zahn has a B.S. in physics from Michigan State University and an M.S. from the University of Illinois. He lives with his family on the Oregon coast.

Chapter Four

“So,” Emperor Palpatine said, his eyes glinting from the shadows beneath the peak of his hood. “It is as I suspected. Moff Glovstoak is a traitor.”

“He’s at least an embezzler, my lord,” Mara said. “I don’t yet know whether or not he’s committed actual treason.”

“I consider theft of Imperial funds to be treason,” the Emperor countered. “Your part in this is now ended, my child–others will carry on from here. You have done well.”

“Thank you,” Mara said, feeling the warmth of his approval flow through her. “Then unless there’s something more urgent pending, I’d like permission to do an investigation of the six artworks I found in Glovstoak’s safe. The ones I examined appear to be from a batch of ten that were stolen from a gallery five years ago during an attack on a Rebel cell on Krintrino.”

The Emperor’s face darkened. “So as well as being an embezzler, Glovstoak may also be connected with the Rebel Alliance?”

“Or he may have a connection with the Imperial forces who carried out the attack,” Mara pointed out, a little cautiously. The Emperor was a wise and good man, but he had an odd tendency sometimes to see Rebels and Rebel conspiracies where they might not actually exist. “Or it could have been pirates or thieves who simply took advantage of the attack’s chaos to grab and run. The interesting point is that Glovstoak apparently bought them through an auction house, which suggests he and the seller wanted a stamp of legitimacy put on the transfer.”

“You said ten were stolen,” the Emperor said. “Yet only six were in Glovstoak’s safe?”
“Yes,” Mara confirmed. “And all six were apparently bought at the same time about eighteen months ago.”

“Where are the other four?”

“As far as I know, they’re still missing,” Mara said. “That’s one of the questions I’d like an answer to. Another is why the original owner suddenly decided he needed such a large influx of cash a year and a half ago.”

For a minute the Emperor remained silent, and Mara felt a flicker of satisfaction. Private transfers of valuable objects happened all the time across the Empire, for any number of legitimate or borderline-shady reasons. Such questions coming from many of the Emperor’s other advisers and assistants would likely have been dismissed out of hand as irrelevant.

But Mara was the Emperor’s Hand, recruited and trained personally by him, and he trusted her instincts. “The loss of the Death Star was a great shock to even my strongest supporters,” he said at last. “Some, perhaps, might be wondering if my Empire is indeed the likely winner in this conflict with the Rebel Alliance.”

“Of course it is,” Mara said automatically.

The Emperor gave her another thin smile. “Indeed,” he agreed. “But not everyone sees things as clearly as you and I. If Glovstoak is not connected to the Rebellion, perhaps one of our wealthier citizens has decided to play both sides. Tell me, what is the current Rebel presence in Shelsha sector?”

“I don’t know yet,” Mara said. “I was planning to comm Shelkonwa and ask Governor Choard’s office to prepare a summary for me.”

“Don’t,” the Emperor said, the corners of his lips turning down with contempt. “Barshnis Choard is a competent administrator, but he has far too many ties with the wealthy and powerful of his sector. He might leak news of your investigation to the very people you seek. No, you will instead use my personal library for your research.”

Mara bowed her head. “Thank you, my lord.”

The Emperor held out his hand to her. “Go,” he said.

Mara stepped forward and took his outstretched hand, feeling a fresh wave of warmth and strength flow into her, then stepped back again. “One other thing, my lord,” she said. “When you have Moff Glovstoak and his administration arrested, I would ask that a member of his staff, General Deerian, be exempted from punishment.”

The Emperor regarded her thoughtfully. “You believe him to be innocent of Glovstoak’s treason?”

“I’m certain of it,” Mara said. “He’s also an honest and honorable man. I don’t wish to see the Empire deprived of his service.”

The other’s lip may have twitched slightly at the word honorable. But he merely nodded. “As you wish, my child,” he said. “I will have General Deerian transferred immediately to a position here on Imperial Center, where he will remain untouched by Glovstoak’s imminent destruction.”

“Thank you,” Mara said. Turning, she strode across the expanse of the throne room, passed between the silent red-robed Royal Guards, and stepped into the turbolift.

The Emperor’s library was a large and very private place, used only by a few of his top people, and only with his express permission. Normally, there were a handful of attendants on hand to assist, but as Mara walked between the tall stacks of data card file cabinets toward the retrieval stations at the center she was struck by the unusual silence. Apparently all the attendants had suddenly found a need to be elsewhere.

As she rounded the last cabinet she discovered the reason for their absence. Seated alone at one of the three computer stations was Darth Vader.

“Lord Vader,” she said politely as she stepped past, her eyes flicking automatically to the display screen in front of him.

His arm came up, just high enough to block her view. “Emperor’s Hand,” he greeted her in turn, his voice deep and stiff and darker even than usual. “What do you want?”

“I was given permission to do some research,” Mara said, continuing past him and seating herself at one of the other stations.

But even as she turned on the console and started keying for her data search, she could sense his brooding attention switch from his research to Mara herself. Vader had always been polite enough, but even without Mara’s Force sensitivity it would have been abundantly clear that he didn’t like her.
She’d never figured out why that was. Certainly their goals were the same: service to the Emperor and his New Order. Perhaps he thought her training had taken too much of the Emperor’s time and attention, or perhaps he suspected her of trying to supplant him in the great man’s eyes.

Both thoughts were ridiculous, of course. Mara had her work to do, and Vader had his, and there was no point trying to second-guess the Emperor’s wisdom in the way he employed either of them.

But she had yet to find a way to get that message through to Vader.

“You seek information on the Rebels,” Vader said.

“Don’t we all?” Mara said drily. “Specifically, I’m interested in the ones in Shelsha sector. Would you happen to know anything about that?”

“There are no known or suspected bases in the sector,” the Dark Lord rumbled. “The single major listening post was raided and destroyed a few days ago. I suspect there to also be some important supply lines running through the sector, but that has yet to be verified.”

“Any important sympathizers?”

The sense of coldness around him deepened. “There are sympathizers everywhere,” he said. “As well as others who conspire to overthrow their superiors.”

Mara felt an unpleasant trickle run through her. “Lord Vader, rest assured that I have no intention–”

“Good day, Emperor’s Hand,” Vader cut her off. With a swirl of black cloak, he stood, turning off the console as he did so. Turning his back, he strode away.

“Thank you for your assistance, Lord Vader,” Mara called after him.

The other didn’t reply, the sense of coldness fading as he departed. The door slid open at his gesture, and he strode from the library.

Mara took a deep breath, let it out in a weary sigh. What was he worried about, anyway? Loyalty was, after all, one of the Emperor’s greatest qualities; loyalty to all who were loyal to him. How could Vader even think his Master would push him aside for anyone else? Especially for someone as young and inexperienced as Mara?

Shaking her head, she turned back to her console, forcing her mind back to her job. So the Rebels had supply lines through Shelsha sector. That was good to know. She finished keying in her request for general Rebel data, then added a search for major and minor traffic lanes, out-ofthe-way spaceports, and any known centers of smuggling or other criminal activity.
The computer set to work, and Mara sat back to wait . . . and as she hunched her tired shoulders, her eyes drifted over to Vader’s console. The Dark Lord was never very pleasant, but as she thought back on their brief encounter it seemed to her that he’d been even more on edge than usual.

Maybe she could find out why.

She glanced toward the exit as she stood up and went to the other console, wondering briefly what Vader would do if he caught her at this. But it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Sitting down, she turned on the machine. There was a computer trick the Dark Lord might not know how to block . . .

He didn’t. Punching in the proper code, Mara pulled up the last file that had been accessed from that ...